Kids News - Social Studies Articles

The Nordic country of Finland has always been at the forefront of education reform. Finnish students don't have to worry about being tardy, homework or standardized tests. They get a 15-minute recess every hour and attend school fewer days than kids in most developed nations (not America). Since February 2015, students have not even had to learn cursive handwriting.

Today the world will celebrate Earth Hour. This means that millions of people across twenty-four time zones and six continents will switch off all lights and turn off all electronics for an hour, from 8.30-9.30 pm local time. While it may seem trivial, this small action will make more than a symbolic difference in our battle against climate change.

On Friday March 27th, five-year-old Seth Lane will undergo a bone marrow transplant - his second one in four and a half years. To show support and raise awareness of the Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) disease the young boy suffers from, his family has one simple request. They want everyone to wear Seth's favorite color yellow, and post pictures Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, with the hashtag #WearYellowForSeth.

We are often so busy focusing on what we lack in our lives, that we forget to be happy about all the things we have - like good health and loving friends and family. Today is a great day to change that mindset. That's because it is not just the first day of spring (at least for those that live in the northern hemisphere) but also the International Day of Happiness.

Fifty years ago, on March 18th, 1965, Soviet Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov took the first spacewalk. It lasted just twelve minutes and almost ended in a disaster. That's because the vacuum of space caused his pressurized suit to inflate and become rigid, making it impossible for Leonov to re-enter the Voskhod 2 space capsule airlock. The quick thinking astronaut let out some of the precious air from his suit and despite severe decompression sickness, manage to stumble back in and live to tell his harrowing tale.

It's time to tuck away those black and blues that you have been donning all winter and get some green on! That's because Tuesday March 17th is St. Patrick's Day, which means that those not sporting the color will have to endure painful pinches! Of course this fun holiday is also about searching for four-leaf clovers and leprechauns that can lead you to gold. So how did the death anniversary of a once obscure saint who was not even Irish by birth, result in all these fun traditions? Read on.

It sounds like the plot from a National Treasure movie, but this time, the discovery of an ancient city in Central America is real! On February 25th, researchers emerged from La Mosquitia, a very remote jungle area of Honduras, with some incredible news. They had been able to locate the mythical “White City,” rumors of which have persisted since the 16th Century.

Fifty years ago, on Sunday March 7th, 1965, six hundred civil rights activists gathered at the Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama to start a peaceful 54-mile trek to the state capitol in Montgomery. The activists were upset at the wrongful death of Marion resident Jimmy Lee Jackson and the denial of their constitutional right to vote and planned to take their cause directly to Alabama Governor George Wallace.